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John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 34:9

O fear the Lord, ye his saints ,.... Who are sanctified by his Spirit, and so are openly and manifestly his; these are exhorted to fear the Lord with reverence and godly fear; and great reason there is why they should fear him, since he is King of saints, and fear is due to him from them; and seeing they have received many instances of grace and goodness from him, and therefore should fear him for his goodness's sake; and besides they, and they only, know him, and have the grace of fear in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 34:10

The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger ,.... According to Apollinarius, "the needy rich, whom famine presses;' see Job 4:10 ; but they that seek the Lord ; by prayer, diligently, with their whole heart, and in the sincerity of their souls; the Targum is, "that seek the doctrine of the Lord"; that seek instruction from him, and to be taught by him: these shall not want any good thing : which God has purposed to bestow upon them, which he has promised unto them, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 34:11

Come, ye children ,.... Meaning either his own children, those of his own family, judging it his duty to instruct them, and bring them up in the fear of the Lord; or his subjects, to whom he stood in the relation of a father, as every king does; or all his hearers, as those who attended the prophets are called the children or sons of the prophets; or young people in common may be designed, who should be taught early their duty to God and men: unless the children of God in general are here... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 34:12

What man is he that desireth life ?.... Every man desires life, even a natural life; it is more desirable than all things in it; especially an healthful life, without which the blessings and mercies of life cannot be comfortably enjoyed; and still more a life of prosperity; life, with an affluence of good things, and even a long one: though it may be rather that a spiritual life is here meant, and a comfortable one; a life free from the remorses of a guilty conscience, from the fear of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 34:13

Keep thy tongue from evil ,.... This, and what follows in this verse and Psalm 34:14 , point at the things wherein the fear of God shows itself; and suggest, that those who have it, and which is known by these fruits, shall enjoy the desirable and good days before mentioned. The tongue is an instrument of much evil, an unruly member, and needs restraint; and it is from evil, and not from good, it is to be kept; from evil speaking of God, from cursing and swearing; from evil speaking of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 34:14

Depart from evil ,.... This denotes that evil is near to men; it keeps close to them, and should be declined and shunned: and it regards all sorts of evil; evil men, and their evil company; evil things, evil words and works, and all appearance of evil; and the fear of the Lord shows itself in an hatred of it, and a departure from it, Proverbs 8:13 ; and do good ; not only acts of beneficence to all in necessitous circumstances, but every good work; whatever the word of God directs, or... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 34:15

The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous ,.... These are the same with them that fear the Lord, and do good; not that they become righteous in the sight of God, or are justified before him, by their fear of him, and by their good works; but these are the fruits and effects of grace, showing them to be righteous persons; for it is only by the righteousness of Christ that men are righteous before God: and upon these the eyes of the Lord are; not only his eye of Providence, to watch over... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 34:16

The face of the Lord is against them that do evil ,.... Not against everyone that sins; for the righteous are not without sin; they have sin in them, and they do no good without it; but against them that live in sin, whose course of life is a series of wickedness, and they are workers of iniquity; and have no sense of sin, nor sorrow for it, go on in it without shame or fear; against these the face of the Lord is, he shows his resentment, and stirs up his wrath. For the Lord to be against... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 34:17

The righteous cry ,.... The word "righteous" is not in the original text, but is rightly supplied in our version, as it is in the Targum, and by Jarchi; and so Kimchi and Ben Melech observe, that these words are not to be connected with Psalm 34:16 , but with Psalm 34:15 ; and they are indeed an amplification of the last clause of it; and the cry of the righteous is meant, to which the ears of the Lord are open; though Aben Ezra thinks that these words are to be understood of them that... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 34:18

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart ,.... Who are pressed and bore down with afflictions, by the sorrow of heart under which their spirits are broken, Proverbs 15:13 ; or with a sense of sin, and sorrow for it, for which their hearts smite them, and they are wounded by it, and broken with it: to these the Lord is "nigh"; not in a general way only, as he is to all men, being God omnipresent, but in a special manner; he comes and manifests himself to them in a gracious... read more

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